MDNews - Central New York

St. Joseph's Health: A Time Line 1869 – Sister Marianne Cope and the Sisters of St. Francis found St. Joseph's Hospital 1888 – Hospital expands to 120 beds 1898 – St. Joseph's College of Nursing opens 1926 – Hospital expands to 235 beds, includes maternity and pediatric departments 1958 – Hospital performs first open-heart surgery in Central New York 1970 – Hospital opens first NICU within the region 1983 – Franciscan Health Support is formed, offering home healthcare services 2002 – Hospital earns its first Magnet recognition 2010 – St. Joseph's acquires North Medical Family Physicians 2012 – Mother Marianne is canonized as a saint 2012 – New emergency department opens 2015 – St. Joseph's Health becomes part of Trinity Health 2015 – Ralph and Christina Nappi Surgical Tower opens 2018 – Cardiovascular Institute opens establish their school in Syracuse. Once there, the college could take advantage of St. Joseph's Hospital to clinically train its medical students. Geneva Medical College would eventua lly become the Syracuse University College of Medicine, now known as SUNY Upstate Medical University College. "Many talented physicians have come through the school," Luke says. "We still have a strong residency program that accepts about 25 candidates a year, and quite a few of them opt to stay in the Syracuse area." St. Joseph's Health is also home to the St. Joseph's College of Nursing, which was established in 1898 and has since graduated more than 4,000 students. "O ver t he la st decade, t he col lege has doubled in size, partnered with Le Moyne College to create a BSN option for students, and has offered accelerated a nd weekend progra m options," says A nneMa rie Wa l ker- Cz yz , R N, Ed D, NEA-BC, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Off icer of St. Joseph's Health. "St. Joseph's College of Nursing fosters the growth and development of our nurses through tuition assistance, role expansion, national certification, and opportunities to participate in local, regional and national conferences." The investment in nurses from both St. Joseph's Hea lth a nd St. Joseph's College of Nursing has paid off, with many nurses investing their talents back into St. Joseph's Health and the community at large. "Our nurses lead at every level of the organization," Walker-Czyz says. "They create new care delivery models, such as expansion in home care and patient navigation, and commit to having the highest level of acute care competencies to care for the most critically ill." MAGNET RECOGNITION The dedication of nurses a nd ot her staff has earned St. Joseph's Health a number of accreditations, certifications and recognitions throughout its history (see "Awards and Distinctions"). These honors require thorough application and review processes to ensure providers and practices meet benchmarks in excellence within their respective fields and service lines. Of these distinctions, one of the more noteworthy is Magnet designation, which is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). "The process for Magnet designation and redesignation is rigorous," Walker-Czyz says. "Magnet recognition establishes and reaffirms that St. Joseph's Health is among the best hospitals in the United States." After deciding to apply for Magnet recognition, nurses, administration, and clinical and support service staff created a strategic plan for securing and improving patient outcomes to meet or exceed the highest standards in the country. "Once severa l years of outstanding performance is secured, the application process begins," Walker-Czyz says. "We submitted over 3,000 pages of supporting documents to ANCC's Commission on Magnet Recognition to be considered for a redesignation site visit, which was awarded to us." St. Joseph's Health met or exceeded all Magnet standards during the site visit. " T h e a p p r a i s e r s r e m a r k e d t h a t St. Joseph's nurses were among the most dedicated to continuous quality improve- ment for patient outcomes that they had seen," Walker-Czyz says. Despite how far St. Joseph's Health has come, its staff continues to honor Saint Marianne by building on current programs and practices. "I feel a very close tie to Saint Marianne because I grew up in Hawaii and knew about her work there," Luke says. " We are continuing her mission everyday on a larger scale than she probably could have imagined." n St. Joseph's Health nurses earned the highly coveted Magnet designation, placing the hospital among the best hospitals in the United States. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K ■ 2 019 0 9

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